Extending the Olive Branch
by X3
Summary: After my story Remembering (Beka remembers what she did on Flash) Beka goes to apologize to Harper.


Extending the Olive Branch

Title:Extending the Olive Branch

Summery:After my story Remembering (Beka remembers what she did on Flash) Beka goes to apologize to Harper. 

Disclaimer:I still own nothing; I am still poor, are we noticing a trend?

A/N:I had such a request for a sequel I figured I'd do it.I hadn't actually thought Remembering lended itself to a sequel when I wrote it, but I tried with this.I hope you like it.

She watched him from the doorway to the machine shop.He was in there.Diligently fiddling with some thing she couldn't identify.A faceless droid suddenly pushed past her carrying a glass and a little paper cup.It stopped in front of Harper and demanded the kid stand up in Andromeda's voice."Med time Harper"

"Yes dear" he whined playfully emptying the paper cup into his hand

Harper glanced at the pills in his hand for a moment, a big red vitamin, two little round green antibiotics, and a white capsule whose purpose he could never remember.He knocked them back and took the glass of water offered by the droid.Everyday, twice a day he did this."Thank you kindly" he told the bot and sat back down on the floor to continue his tinkering.

He took these pills because of his tattered immune system.His life before he met her was cruel and unforgiving. Years of combating plagues and infections left him with virtually no antibodies swimming about his blood.So everyday he took antibiotics and vitamins in an attempt to stay well another day.

She took a deep breath.She had to talk to him."Hi Harper" She announced, making her presence known.He jumped a little in surprise.The look that crossed his face for a mere moment caused her to suddenly remember back to his first weeks on the Maru again.He had been so jumpy; always looking over his shoulder when he thought she wasn't looking.He had a paranoia that she was going to dump him the first chance she got.

That would be better than what she had just threatened to do to him.If she just dumped him on a random station he might get lucky and find another ship in need of a cocky engineer.But the garbage heap she found him on; it was a miracle he ever got off.There, it was worse than kill or be killed.She'd been just as lucky to find a decent person like Harper, as he'd been to team up with her.They'd actually met when the scrawny mudfoot had stopped her mugger.If it hadn't been such a serious place and situation she would have had to laugh, this little malnourished guy leveling a blaster at a big bruiser who could easily break him in half.But the mudfoot had been quite convincing.The mugger left to find easier prey.

"How ya doing?"

"Fine" he nodded, "Anything I can help ya with boss?"

"No Harper, I just wanted to, well, to apologize for last week."

"Oh, it's okay boss, you weren't yourself"

"But still, what I said, you know I would never take you back to that hell-hole."

"I know". Did he know?Did he ever worry he'd wind up back in the dump where she found him, or maybe worse, sent back to Earth?It would be over her dead body that they take her friend back to that misery.

"Seriously Seamus, you're safe here."

"It was the Flash Beka. You stay off the eye juice and we'll call you forgiven."

"It's a deal". She nodded and left him alone again.

They'd been together so long she understood.Harper was still the same Harper he always was, not gooey inside.He just rolled with the punches, ready to move on.Not to say he was uncaring or dead inside.She knew what their friendship meant without some hug fest or deep unburdening of souls.What else could you expect from someone who'd taken so many punches from fate?

She glanced back at him one more time before turning down the hall.She hoped he understood how important he was, and knew to be proud of himself.Sure, he had a huge ego, was always joking about what a god he was, but he did have reason.He'd overcome a lot, and no one could take that away from him.Sure she had found malnourished and scratching out a living just above living on the streets.But even then, he'd already survived 20 years in a place even worse.She couldn't say for sure in his place she wouldn't have reached for a gun.He was a survivor and he'd made something of himself.


End file.
